Inmate never saw doctor, her meds

An Albany County jail inmate who died there in July 2011 never saw a doctor during her stay despite jail staff knowing she suffered from a life-threatening heart condition, according to court records.

My colleague Alysia Santo also reports that the inmate, Irene Bamenga, was not given multiple doses of her medication.

From Santo’s story:

The jail’s only physician, Dr. Syed Haider-Shah, was away on vacation and available only by phone for most of Bamenga’s detainment, according to documents filed recently in U.S. District Court, where Bamenga’s husband, Yodi Zikianda, has filed a lawsuit against Albany County and a private medical company that handled her treatment at the jail.

Haider-Shah, who served as the jail’s medical director, testified in a pretrial deposition that the health care staff at the jail was “overwhelmed” at the time of Bamenga’s death, but he did not elaborate. Haider-Shah, who was deposed in August at an Albany attorney’s office, also said that he never confirmed whether Bamenga had seen a doctor at Allegany County jail, where she had been detained on an immigration violation before being transferred to Albany by federal authorities handling her case. He said jail nurses consulted him at least once by telephone but that he did not consider the situation “critical.”

35 Responses

This death at the jail should not have happened. This woman should not have been in jail awaiting deportation given she was attempting to leave the country. It was unconscionable that she was not provided her medicines given her medical history, and it is tragic that she had to have her notes disregarded and had to suffer and die alone, and the coverup seems criminal. The jail can not try and avoid being held accountable by failing to report the truth. There were other people in that jail that were not given their medicines. At about this time I heard of people having their medicine withheld as punishment.

Janet, I agree with you completely that her death should not have happened, and I hope Albany County has to pay out millions of dollars to her husband. The taxpayers who voted for his incompetence will now have to pay the price. Sheriff Apple has no clue how to run a jail properly, and I hope he’s found culpable and suffers some kind of punishment. Let’s see…

1) Jail guards as part of an international gambling ring (who got NO prison time) operating right under his nose.
2) Life-saving meds NOT given resulting in death.
3) Giving waivers to pot cops.

This list, although probably incomplete, is long enough to make me shudder to think what else is happening inside the jail that we and Apple don’t know about.

I also believe Albany County guards are unsupervised to the extent they can punish people in jail however they want, including withholding meds, with Apple not having a clue nor caring.

Janet and Annette I agree. Apple may be a nice guy but he hasn’t cleaned the jail up at all.

Don’t forget the guard that got caught on tape beating an inmate and having other inmates help him. There’s a huge lawsuit there, too. All these lawsuit payoffs come out of taxpayers’ money.

I asked Dan McCoy once why the guards eat their meals for free at the jail. He said because they can’t go out???? Really? No other county jails feed their guards. No state prisons feed their guards. They get paid and can bring their lunch or order out just like everybody else in government jobs.

As the 574 million dollar budget for Albany was just announced, McCoy likened the raise in taxes to going to the movies. Taxes are high enough and that’s not a good answer. Why aren’t we cutting back? guards.

Why are taxpayers feeding guards? They should get a 1099 at the end of the year and pay taxes on the free lunches as it is part of their compensation. Are they?

While this practice goes on the inmates are forced to eat slop, it’s the worst food in all the jails and prisons. Why?

At $6 a meal (State rate) the freebies we are giving these guys are quite a lot. Figure how many meals times how many guards and then how many weeks in a year. It adds up and the taxpayers should not be paying for it.

I hope her husband gets millions as the jail should be accountable for their neglect, and the taxpayers should be asking for accountability.

If Sheriff Apple is dumb enough to agree to take on County
Executive, Dan McCoy’s brother on his payroll as a $50,000 year investigator, he is not too smart. Blatant patronage appointment and he is a first term elected official no less. It is not surprising that these awful things are happening because these guards figured out quickly that the sheriff hasn’t a clue and the warden is not far behind on the IQ scale. This incident makes me think of that prison over in Iraq where the American guards enjoyed torturing their prisoners….. Abu Grahib…remember?

She was here on a 6 year expired visa if she was in France where she was supposed to be she would still be alive. Her fault not ours! But lets waste tax payer money treating yet another illegal! Now we get to waste tax payer money on a trial and investigation. Oh and I bet her family will sue and win a butt load of money. How bout worrying about the 1,000s of people who ARE US citizens that work evey day and if a medical ER arises they have to pay out of pocket, because they cant afford insurance.

Did anyone not read the story here?? I’m not sure why everyone is blaming the sheriff and the guards when this was a medical screw up. Guards have no say over medical staff. This is a medical staff issue….not a security issue.

If an American citizen, even if in France illegally, dies in a French jail due to medical negligence, I would hope there would be an investigation and accountability, and if I were that person’s spouse, I’d try to sue.

The point is that someone died in this prison who should not have died–period. If there’s no investigation nor trial, the negligence will stay hidden and continue, and conditions could become worse than they already are.

I guess money is more important to you than someone’s life. Hey, let’s allow all prisoners around the world to die in prisons if those people aren’t citizens of those countries. /sarcasm

@joe #12,

The sheriff is responsible for the entire jail. Just because he contracts out certain parts of operations doesn’t absolve him of that ultimate responsibility. But I can see him telling himself anything if it will help lessen the guilt he should feel.

Just saying if she hadnt been here ILLEGALLY she would still be alive. Being here legally would have equaled her never being put in jail and in a situation to not receive meds, just saying. No one is responsible for her death but her! I dont think prisoners should receive free health care. If they can spend thier money on ho hos and bear claws, than let them pony up some money for thier health care while in prison. Hek I am a law abiding tax paying citizen and I cant just walk in and go to a Dr for free. Just saying!

@Maria. you said “I dont think prisoners should receive free health care. If they can spend thier money on ho hos and bear claws, than let them pony up some money for thier health care while in prison.” People who are incarcerated are under the care of the agencies involved including the jail. This woman was a French citizen and they also have an interest in their citizen’s well-being even if she had over stayed her US visa. People who are incarcerated are dependent on the jail health care system sometimes as is the case in this instance for their very lives. Jails are stressful places by their nature. They are punishment. Being locked alone in a cell is a certain type of punishment meant to be levied for certain types of crimes. Some crimes do not warrant such harsh treatment. Killing people through neglect is also punishment – not only for the person involved but for their whole family. This young woman’s death was a tragedy. No one thinks the jail killed her on purpose but it does look like they had faulty systems in place and that they did not heed her asking for help. They were informed of her medical needs it looks like. Her family deserves answers and respect and sympathy for their loss.

I should have said jails instead of prisons in post #14. The Albany County Jail houses some inmates who haven’t been convicted yet whereas prisons hold those convicted of crimes. BUT withholding medical care from any inmate–whether held in a jail or prison–is immoral and unethical, imo.

@Usual CC Posters,

Where are they all? I wonder why they’re they’re being so unusually quiet on this particular story? Yuk, why no “Guilty” as normal? John Wells? Perhaps they’re afraid of something.

If harsh treatment is her not getting FREE treatment while being a ILLEGAL, than what kind of treatment is it for someone who works 6 days a week, yet cant afford health care considered? Seriously why should my (our) tax dollars help people who break the law, are here illegally and end up in prison get better care than us? No one cries foul for the working Joe who suffers on a daily basis. How many LEGAL citizens and law abiding citizens go without proper medical care on a daily basis? Bottom line if she hadn’t broken the law and stayed here 6 years after her visa expired she would be alive. Her actions the last 6 years are the direct cause of her death, not the US jail system!

Poor Maria you don’t have a clue just saying! If another person dies needlessly then it is called a travesty, and it does not matter how it happens, only that it did happen, just saying. Where is your humanity? This poor woman should not have died just saying!!
In this case the women being held on an immigration violation and awaiting deportation. She was awarded custody to The sheriff of Albany county, via the federal government.The federal Government entrust that their inmates, while in custody of the Sheriff will be cared for and not wind up dead because of jails incompetence. As far as your notion that she was receiving free health care is a joke, the feds pay a hefty fee for boarding their inmates at the jail, which includes health care. You act like this poor woman couldn’t wait to go to jail to get the excellent care that they provide. OH and BTW you can walk into an emergency department anywhere in the whole nation, without a penny to your name and receive health care.

Maria’s thought process here is very harsh, almost cold like. What Maria and obviously people from Albany County who manage and run the jail fail to realize is that the measure of a good jail is one where the inmates can do their time safely, staff can work safely, and the jail is a place of secure custody and control. Nowhere does that imply that the medical service provided by clinicians and with assistance of Corrections Officers can an offender’s medical needs be neglected. Maria, this woman had a serious medical condition, nobody can assert whether this woman would be alive or not had she been in her homeland. What we do know here is that people employed at the jail appear negligent, and at fault. From the privatized inept medical care to the guards responsible for her care. Its time to view Corrections as a human services industry because ultimately if you lock someone up against their will the government has the responsibility and burdon of providing a safe environment for them to do their time to society in a secure manner. The government and the gate keepers should set the bar high, and provide a good example to offenders that this is how a good society conducts themselves. This woman should not have been even placed in a county Jail, she was in custody of the federal government, this tragedy could have been avoided.

I was in Albany County jail for 6 months back in 2003 and it was absurd how much corruption there was. Around Christmas I got sick and had a fever and was delirious and went to the medic station only to have them take my temperature record it as 100+, give me a motrin and send me back to my cell where I laid for 4 days fading in and out of consciousness from fever, never did I receive any type of antibiotics or any other care other than the one motrin. Luckily I did not die. There was also an instance of one instance of jail wide food poisoning from egg salad being left out overnight, inmates are forced to work 12+ hour shifts, which is also illegal, Corrections Officers would routinely give CO food trays to inmates to beat up other inmates who were in jail for crimes the guards did not like (child abuse, etc) and to top it off my cell Phone was stolen from my property bag which only jail employees have access to. One could only imagine what happens the rest of the year. These people are just as corrupt as the one they watch over.

The tragedy would have been avoided if she hadnt stayed here 6 years past her visa expiring. I’m really not a cold hearted person and I do feel bad that someone died. But in all reality her actions are the direct cause of her death. She knew she shouldnt be here, she made a conscience decision to stay. In true US fashion lets not put the blame where it needs to be. We all eventually need to be held accountable for our actions. When this poor lady was, it unfortunately resulted in her death. Which I ll say again never would have happened if she wasnt here illegally for 6 years!

@Annette – This was an unfortunate lapse in medical care. It happens all the time, sometimes resulting in fatalities, in both correctional and hospital settings. There are thousands of inmates passing thru the jail annually and for one such case to occur, while unfortunate and sad, is not to be unexpected as the system is managed by humans. How’s that? As for her being in the country illegally for 6 years – Guilty!!! (Sorry Yuk)

Hospitals always work to improve procedures and reduce risks, and medical facilities in jails should do the same and NOT take your ridiculous gee-it-happens-all-the-time-because-we’re-humans-so-deaths-in-jails-are-acceptable attitude.

First of all the arresting agency is responsible in notifying medical staff of incoming inmates with medical conditions. Including medication , current status and further treatment needed. Next the medical staff is responsible in taking history and attempting to get medical records and medications. This women came from Canada. There are HEPA laws in place. Did she speak English ? Was she able to communicate with staff. Did she bring up to date medications with her.Were the medications labeled properly ? Or did she have her records with her ?
She was moving to a new country. With a serious cardiac condition I would think so. Otherwise is foolish. Arriving from another correctional facility, medical records should of been sent along with her medications. If I was her I’d not attempt to cross over the border without proper paperwork in place. Especially with serious medical issues. Plus I’d be making a lot noise to get attention from officers and nurses. Albany County Jail maybe a hornets nest but most of those officers do their job. Inmates are known to do kind acts and help a sick inmate in need of help. Was a alarm called out prior to her death. Did she speak up over and over ? Now who’s to blame here. Of course the nurse’s and medical staff at Albany County Jail. You know every inmate has a serious medical issue. Its life threatening each time. When was the last time you all passed medications on a tier. Its over whelming. The gate is bum rushed. Everybody has medical emergencies at the same time. You have one nurse passing medications while 100 inmates are talking to you. The guards are trying to keep order. Heaven forbid the nurse makes a medication error ! Inmates don’t want to wear their ID. Or swap it with another for a price. Yes I am sorry for the death of this innocent women. I am sorry for her family. But ……

No Marie being held accountable for being here illegally is NOT what caused her death. The negligence of the guards, who knew she was sick and needed medicine, and the medical staff who withheld medicine. It’s called negligent homicide, no they didn’t mean it but they caused her death. And btw she was a human being

John this “lapse” took a life for no other reason then that they could. To say it was just human error is not true, these guards and health services neglected this woman on purpose. She asked for her medicine.

Why isn’t Soares prosecuting this for negligent homicide?? Why aren’t people asking him and make him accountable also.

I worked in four county jails and four state correctional facilities for the better part of 15 years or so, at each one the medical “care” was substandard and the staff typically people who wouldn’t get hired to work in a hospital or in a private practice.

Maria-Yes, you are a cold-hearted person. What your said is no different than rapist blaming his victim for what he did to her. I have to say, your comment is nauseatingly racist and ignorant.

If the government has no responsibility to provide medical care for those who committed crimes, any crimes, then it is clear you have NEVER read the U.S. Constitution. Here’s a link:

So many question about this case.
One would think that, instead of taking her into custody and letting her enter Canada this whole tragedy could have been avoided? I think if she was Mexican trying to go back to mexico we would have given her a ride to the airport. I don’t think you see this type of activity going on in Texas, they would have said see ya later and good luck. It’s not like she was trying to get into the country illegally, she was trying to leave because she was here illegally. I don’t get it. I can only imagine the conversation at the border.
Immigration officer: how dare you try and leave the country, you are here illegally so we tell you how to leave! We are going to put you in jail, so you can wait moths for deportation process, then we will buy you an airplane ticket and send you back where you come from.
Irene Bamenga: But sir I have a plane ticket and I am trying to leave the country through Canada.
Immigration officer: That don’t make any sense at all, so you will do it our way at the cost to the taxpayer.
The conversation should have been good luck to ya and come back when you have the proper papaerwork!